second procedure...

[johnnie69]

To anyone who already had their second, interested to know exactly how you&your doc planned it out...Im goin for #2 in a few weeks, to add to the hairline and some crown work....

 

any feedback appreciated

[johnnie69]

To anyone who already had their second, interested to know exactly how you&your doc planned it out...Im goin for #2 in a few weeks, to add to the hairline and some crown work....

 

any feedback appreciated

[hairbank]

Tough question since everyone's loss is different. For me, it came down to what was the most important to me..........then I reviewed it with the doc for his opinion. Had his strongly differed with mine.....I'd have gone whatever route he recommended since he had far more experience than me. Fortunately, we were in agreement and felt it would be the best use of the number that would likely be harvested.

 

My placement dilemma was front vs. crown. I had a huge B spot on the crown that I was very self-conscious of. While my frontal hair isn't super thick, you can't see through it either. Several go for the "full" look from the front and don't mind leaving the crown thin or with a spot. For me, to this point, I've chosen "decent" coverage on front with no "B spot" in back.

 

Do you have any pics posted? Where are you on the NW scale?

[johnnie69]

no pics yet...or maybe ever....kinda my secret, I was about a 5v and had 2800 in the frontal 1/3 (6000 hairs)....

 

I still dont go anywhere without a hat...and I hate the balding on the crown.....My transplant is ok, it s been about 14 months.....but it doesnt blend ....sorta like it was just set there.....futher loss...maybe, I am having setrious doubts about my expectations and wheteher or not I should have started this at all...

 

My scar wont let me below a #4 guard, and although I am more comfortable with my hair now than pre-op, like I said, still it isnt good......

 

I measured my "crown area and its approx 12x 12...I am scheduled for a 3000 procedure, so for me to get decent coverage and blend the front, I fear IO am still gonna be chasin after this procedure.....Im 36 and at 30, I hadnt really noticed much, then it was GONE.....

 

Anywany, Im getting paranoid about the long wait and hiding the procedure and a summer with twp lil ones and swimming trying to mask a procedure.....

 

Conversly, I seem to have put my life on hold till I resolve this problem...and I dont know if this next session will in fact do tha...or if I have the right doc....or for that matter, how does one ever reallt know if you choose a top name??

 

Im feeling stuck here...as an aside, noone knows I got a transplant....like i said im in a hat or bandana all the time....

[hairbank]

We're not too far apart at many ends of the spectrum. I'm 39 (40 this year).......have been losing since about 23 but not really noticeable until about 28-30. My crown was the biggest culprit......thus my decision to totally cover it with the 2nd HT. I can live with the front for now, maybe for good as I have decent coverage. The icing on the cake for my 2nd HT was when I walked through Walmart a few months ago and looked at the "rear-view" video and the horror of my shiner! The rest is history, I hope.

 

Though I didn't like my crown I didn't wear a hat much at all. I guess I kept my hair clipped a little shorter.

 

I did experience same as you for the 1st HT.....I noticed when, before going for the 2nd HT, I clipped everything down to #4 and you could faintly see the edges of the "smile" on my scar. That sucks! However, H&W took care of it nicely during my 2nd HT. Trust me, the Tricho closure method is nothing short of amazing. I clipped below #4 after my 2nd HT to blend the hair and, after my staple removal at 10 days you couldn't see the scar.

 

Who's your 2nd HT with if you don't mind sharing? IMO if you pick a quality surgeon you should have some reasonable comfort in knowing all will go okay.

 

Bottom line.........you've got one life to live. Don't let the hair thing get you down either way. Keep your chin up, our hair is way more important to us than anyone else.

 

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss.

 

Good luck,

[Doc Patient]

I went through the same dilemma in January for my second procedure. Originally a NW 5, my first procedure (2,518) restored the frontal 1/3. This was July 2005. Now at 8 months post-op, the results are still getting better all the time.

My second procedure was done Jan. 2006 and was 2,220. Options were 1) to bring down the hairline a bit and do the midscalp, but leave the crown alone or 2) accept the high but very nice hairline from the first procedure and go for complete coverage in mid-scalp and crown.

My crown is not that bad since I've been on Propecia for 8 months now. It's filled in a bit from all sides coming up from the back and sides. Like Hairbank though it bothers me to see this bald spot. In the end I felt that it was more important to get complete coverage even if at lower density (crown density will be the thinnest) than a lower hairline and remaining bald in the back. This is a personal decision that you will have to make on the basis of your own personal aesthetics of what you feel looks best. To me, having a low hairline, but remaining bald in the back is not a nice look. I realized that people will be looking at me from all angles and not just the frontal view.

Both procedures were by Dr. J. Epstein. The scar has been pretty much imperceptible to touch since about the one month postop mark. I'm pretty sure that I could go a lot shorter than a 4 with this closure if I wanted. Now at 10 weeks postop, I'm already seeing some very early signs of growth in the mid-scalp area. Nothing in the crown yet. My undertanding is that crown results take considerably longer than other areas of the scalp (i.e. 7-8 months). With procedure one continuing to mature in the meantime and the results of procedure 2 developing over the course of the rest of this year, 2006 is going to be a very exciting "hair" year for me.

[johnnie69]

Thanks for the replies guys.....I think alot of my apprehensions comes from the contradicting info I read on the various boards....You always have to consider the source, who they are affiliated with, what their motives are, is their case similar to mine, are they on meds, etc.....the list goes on....and then for surgeons.....one guy loves him, the next guy says hes ok.....I think it all comes down to realistic expectations....and for top docs, I dont necessarily think that they have bad cases published online too much....I dont think the patients come foreword as much....and when they do, they are attacked and back down...NOONE HAS ALL GOOD RESULTS.PERIOD.

 

This is like a big maze...I think about it differently almost every day.....sometimes I think the more I read, the more confused I become....

 

As an aside, I have recieved most of my clear knowledge from consultants and Dr Lee.... I started using his products 15%xan, 5%min am/pm after my procedure, and since then have been emailing him back and forth on a consistent basis....On the forums, lots of info is pure bulls**t, and you gotta know what to discard....

 

anyway,again thank for the replies...my goals for the second is decent to moderate coverage on my crown and a nice blend with the frontal 1/3.....and a better scar....Hopefully I am bieng realistic....we'll see in a couple of weeks....